Sirius's Wish
by Jamieson
Summary: Sirius and Hedwig understand sorrow...


Sirius's Wish  
A Very Short Story.  
  
Hedwig was travelling the skies looking for Sirius. She knew he was in the east coast somewhere, but she wasn't worried. His vibe would help guide her.  
  
Wizards often wondered how owls, such as herself, were able to find others. It all came down to a vibe. Each Wizard or Witch put out their own vibe, their own signature in the air, and all the owls had to do was find the one they were looking for.  
  
She had been flying for quite some time, and was beginning to get pretty tired. Her lungs puffed air in laboured breaths. 'So tired,' she thought in Birdspeak. 'Shouldn't have had that extra rat for dinner.' And then she felt a pull at her tail-feathers.  
  
Hedwig had found the vibe she was looking for. Centring in on it, she headed down towards Sirius. She landed gracefully, ruffled her feathers, and stared at the large black dog.   
  
The dog regarded her with a curious expression, almost as if it were smiling. Hedwig blinked, and standing before her where the dog had been was a man with shoulder length black hair and deep grey-blue eyes.  
  
"Hello Hedwig," Sirius said, smiling, "and what do you have for me today?"  
  
Hedwig flew up to Sirius's outstretched hand, nibbled on his finger in an affectionate way, and settled on his shoulder. Sirius read the letter that she had been carrying. It was a letter from Harry telling him that he had settled in to fourth year at Hogwarts quite well, and that all was fine. Sirius smiled.  
  
"He's like my son, Hedwig."  
  
Hedwig cooed in a soft note. She understood. She loved Harry very much, and didn't know what she would do without him. You couldn't ask for more in an owner.  
  
Sirius went into his cave, and laid down on his cot, Hedwig flying around for a little bit before settling down on Sirius's chest. She rubbed her beak against him in a loving way, as they had got to be old friends.  
  
She remembered the first time she had encountered the big black dog. It had made her feathers ruffle. 'This is his Godfather?' she thought, 'The things you do for your loved ones'.   
  
Hedwig had regarded the dog with a stony stare, and the dog did the same in return. The dog had put out its paw in greeting, and Hedwig, not wanting to ignore the kind gesture, had nibbled at the outstretched paw.   
  
They had been close friends ever since. Hedwig now regarded Sirius with sad eyes. 'So much pain,' she thought. 'So much pain, and nothing he can do about it.'  
  
"I just wish," Sirius began, "that things could have been different. I wish that Harry could be with me. That I could show him what it was like to have a family. That I could have a family again.   
  
"I find myself thinking back on what I've done, if I could have done it differently. But I wouldn't change anything I've done for the world. And now I have to live with the consequences."  
  
Hedwig cooed at Sirius. It's all right, the coo seemed to say.   
  
Sirius smiled. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I just get a little down on myself. I just have to do something. Do you mind waiting a bit before we go out to hunt?"  
  
Hedwig ruffled her feathers, and settled down for a nap.  
  
Sirius smiled again, and took a piece of paper out of the back pocked of his well worn jeans. The paper read:  
  
Happiness  
Contentment  
Safety  
Family  
Love  
  
These were all the things that Sirius wished for Harry. All the things that he knew Harry deserved, and had been denied. Things, he admitted selfishly, that he wished he could give to him.  
  
Though he had no wand, he would still do a little spell of his own. Ripping up the piece of paper into small, tiny pieces, he held them in the palm of his hand. The wind whispered around him, seeming to come in answer to his wish.  
  
A little tornado of paper began to form in Sirius's hand, and the pieces of paper were carried away, flying through the night air and the cool wind.  
  
As he watched the papers fly away, one thought kept repeating itself in his head: Some day.  
  
He smiled warily to himself, and went to wake Hedwig for the hunt.  
  
  



End file.
